1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high-hardness, soft composite material. More specifically, it relates to a novel high-hardness, soft composite material having a large surface hardness so as to provide the excellent wear resistance and damage resistance as well as a softness so as to provide a deformability easily acclimated to the ground, and the excellent processability, useful as a natural stone-like construction material, civil engineering material, or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, soft composite materials made from a resin, or a resin and an inorganic filler and a pigment added thereto, have widely been used for a wall or a ceiling of a building, a furniture material, or the like. Since these resin composite materials are a resin-based soft material, they can easily be divided, the material can be thinned, they can easily be bent, and easily be acclimated to the base material, and thus they are indispensable as a construction material or civil engineering material with the excellent processability.
However, all of these soft materials commonly known, such as a vinyl chloride sheet, a vinyl chloride tile, and a P tile, have a low surface hardness, and substantially no wear resistance and damage resistance. Therefore the purpose of use, application, or the like have been extremely limited. Moreover, these soft materials can easily be recognized as a plastic at one glance. Even in the case toning or patterning is applied by including a pigment or a filler, the texture is limited inevitably as a plastic.
Therefore, a problem is involved in that they cannot be used for the floor and the passage, where abrasion and damage cannot be avoided, and a part requiring a high class feeling and a designing property. Moreover, since the conventional materials have a poor climate resistance and a large coefficient of thermal expansion, a problem arises in that they cannot be used outdoor.
In contrast, natural stone-like resin composite materials have been used practically as a material with a higher surface hardness and a high class feeling. However, since the conventional hard materials lack the above-mentioned characteristics of the soft materials, the processability, or the like is greatly limited. Moreover, although they are natural stone-like, most of them are recognized as a resin or a plastic in the texture, and thus as the actual situation, it is far from the texture of the natural stones.
Accordingly, in order to overcome the above-mentioned conventional technological limit, an object of the present invention is to provide a high hardness, soft composite material useful as a novel construction material, civil engineering material, or the like, having a high surface hardness, the excellent wear resistance and damage resistance, a depth and a high class feeling, without ruining the advantages of the soft resin based composite material including a thinness, difficulty in cracking, and an easy processability.
A first aspect of the present invention is a high hardness, soft composite material which consists of an organic/inorganic composite material having at least 60% by weight of inorganic components including an aggregate component, and which has a surface Vickers hardness (JIS Z 2244) of at least 400 and a radius of curvature, at which the material is bendable without being broken, of at least R25 mm based on a platy body having a 3 to 15 mm thickness.
A second aspect of the present invention is the composite material, wherein the radius of curvature R is 25 to 1,000 mm.
Moreover, a third aspect of the present invention is the first or second aspect, wherein the inorganic components comprise an aggregate component of a 2 to 70 mesh size, and a fine particle component of a small particle size of 100 mesh or smaller.
A fourth aspect of the present invention is the composite material, wherein the weight ratio of the aggregate component and the fine particle component is (aggregate component/fine particle component)=1/10 to 10/1.
A fifth aspect of the present invention is the composite material, wherein the organic component is contained by 40% by weight or less with respect to the total amount.
A sixth aspect of the present invention is the composite material, wherein the main component of the organic component is a curing type resin.
A seventh aspect of the present invention is the composite material, wherein the main component resin of the organic component is a methacrylic based resin.
An eighth aspect of the present invention is the composite material, wherein a plasticizer is contained as the organic component.
A ninth aspect of the present invention is the composite material, wherein the resin component is contained by 6 to 15% by weight with respect to the total amount.
A tenth aspect of the present invention is the composite material, wherein a transparent component is contained at least as a part of the aggregate component.
An eleventh aspect of the present invention is the composite material, wherein a transparent component with the surface covered with a pigment component is contained at least as a part of the aggregate component.
A twelfth aspect of the present invention is the composite material, wherein a luminous material or a fluorescent material is contained.
A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is the composite material, wherein a flame retarder is contained.
A fourteenth aspect of the present invention is the composite material, wherein a pigment for coloring is contained in the organic component.
A fifteenth aspect of the present invention is the composite material, wherein an antibacterial agent is contained.
A sixteenth aspect of the present invention is the composite material, wherein the surface of a compact is treated by polishing, a water jet process, or a water jet process after polishing.
A seventeenth aspect of the present invention is the composite material, wherein the main component of the organic component is the methacrylic based resin, to be cured by a combination of a polymethacrylate and at least one selected from the group consisting of a methacrylate monomer, and an acrylate monomer.
An eighteenth aspect of the present invention is the composite material, wherein the polymethacrylate is a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), the methacrylate monomer and the acrylate monomer is one selected from the group consisting of a methyl methacrylate, an ethylhexyl methacrylate, and an ethylhexyl acrylate.
A nineteenth aspect of the present invention is the composite material, wherein a force needed for a bending process of a platy body having a 3 to 15 mm thickness is 1 kgf/cm2 or less.